Word's the Bird(House)

Students begin the semester by learning basic model making skills and must make a series of precise cubic models from prescribed, typical model making materials. They then must reimagine what a “cube” could be by making a series of cube-shaped models that incorporate a series of randomly assigned design keywords from whatever materials they deem appropriate. This rhythm of literal/abstract/literal/abstract repeats throughout the semester as students are challenged to draw accurate elevations and sections of their models, make diagrams of them, reimagine those diagrams to incorporate new variables and to do so using new skills and new tools each time.

The project becomes architecture as students are challenged to adapt their design to the needs of a real client: a bird native to the area, and to reimagine an existing site on campus to accommodate the birdhouse, the needs of the bird and to become a gathering place for birdwatchers and campus cruisers alike. A full suite of architecture school deliverables, including orthographic drawings, a site analysis and site plan, a perspective and of course, a full- size prototype, are generated over the course of the project.